Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The CMA PROUDLY Presents: FALCONER of the Month

Falconer: A person skilled in the art of Falconry.

There's a little known secret tucked away inside one of the brick foundry buildings of the South End is near around the corner from the Cool and Cool. Meet Jason, a licensed Falconer and his juvenile red tailed hawk named Arshia.

Recently I had the chance to step inside of Jason's studio and spend some time with him and this beautiful bird of prey. What an interesting bit of learning this time spent was. Arshia was born this past spring and the week before I met her she was captured in a basket by the falconer. Their relationship was only six days old, but the bond and communication between them was apparent. Jason took the time to explain a few things about this art to me.

The idea is that over the next several weeks Arshia will travel with Jason where ever he goes for her training. As they get to know each other he will take her to the field and teach her to hunt by using hand and voice commands. He described being able to walk a tree line with her following in flight from tree to tree to tree and so on until he helps her spot the ground prey. Once identified, the command is given and she will swoop in for the kill at which point he shows her how to dispatch the victim, be it a squirrel or rabbit. Eventually she will be taught to hunt other birds for a little air to air action.

Thanks to Jason for letting me spend some time with him and this amazing creature. After listening to his thoughts and watching his interaction with Arshia I have a better appreciation for such a powerful and natural art form. Fly on!